1st Edition

Legal Origins and the Efficiency Dilemma

    198 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    212 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Economists advise that the law should seek efficiency. More recently, it has been suggested that common law systems are more conducive of economic growth than code-based civil law systems. This book argues that there is no theory to support such statements and provides evidence that rejects a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. Both common law and civil law systems are reviewed to debunk the relationship between the efficiency of the common law hypothesis and the alleged inferiority of codified law systems.

    Legal Origins and the Efficiency Dilemma has six aims: explaining the efficiency hypothesis of the common law since Posner’s 1973 book; summarizing the legal origins theory in the context of economic growth; debunking their relationship; discussing the meaning of 'common law' and the problems with the efficiency hypothesis by comparing laws across English speaking jurisdictions; illustrating the shortcomings of the legal origins theory with a comparative law and economics analysis; and concluding there is no theory and evidence to support the economic superiority of common law systems. Based on previous pieces by the authors, this book expands their work by including new areas of analysis (such as trusts), detailing previous analysis (such as French law versus common law in the areas of contract, property and torts), and updating for recent developments in the academic discourse.

    This volume is of interest to academics and students who study microeconomics, comparative law and foundations of law, as well as legal policy analysts.

    List of illustrations

    Acknowledgments

    PART I: Legal origins in a nutshell – inherent dangers of its blind acceptance

    1 Introduction

    2 The danger of a globally accepted theory containing major flaws

    3 The efficiency of the common law hypothesis

    4 Legal origins: the comparative perspective

    5 The evolution of the common law and efficiency: what is the meaning of common law?

    Why efficient common law

    Tort law

    Defamation law

    Professional responsibility

    Cost rules in civil litigation

    Civil juries

    Brief examples to guide to more detailed overviews

    PART II: Piercing the veil – application of legal origins to specific legal institutes

    6 Contrasting common and civil law: private law

    Bona fide purchase

    Titling of property

    Principle of non-cumul in torts and contracts

    The Good Samaritan Rule

    7 Contrasting common and civil law: legal governance and the specialization of courts

    The model

    Administrative courts

    Commercial courts

    Constitutional courts

    8 The puzzle of mixed law jurisdictions

    Contrasting common and civil law: the role of trusts and mixed legal jurisdictions

    PART III: Modern dilemmas in US and EU law as representatives of the two distinct legal families

    9 Contrasting civil and common law: the area of intellectual property

    Why intellectual property law?

    On intellectual property

    How are the US and the EU approaching the field?

    Efficiency of trademark protection in common and civil law systems

    Geographic indications

    Patent protection in the US and EU

    The efficiency of the ‘fair use’ doctrine under the conditions of two distinct copyright law systems

    10 Contrasting common and civil law: corporate law in the US and EU

    Inherent flaws of the legal origins in researching the field of corporate law: the taxonomy of countries

    Inherent flaws of the legal origins in researching the field of corporate law: coding errors

    The inherent dangers of the persisting influence of legal origins theory on the international level

    The US and EU: legal origins and individual institutes in US and EU corporate laws

    Bibliography

    Index

    Biography

    Nuno Garoupa is Professor of Law at Texas A&M University, School of Law, and holds the Chair in Research Innovation at Católica Global School of Law, Lisbon, Portugal.

    Carlos Gómez Ligüerre is Professor of Private Law at the Pompeu Fabra University (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.

    Lela Mélon is Adjunct Professor of Law at the Pompeu Fabra University (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain.